Exam 1: Small Ruminants and Camelids

? numbers are declining, exist primarily as youth projects, wool market is weak, the young animal market is seasonal, and require high management

sheep

? numbers are apparently increasing, have good marketability, moderate to high management, and require excellent fences

goats

what are major issues in sheep industry

dogs, coyotes, fescue, lack of shearers, high level of management required

what are the goals of LA sheep production

provide lambs for youth projects
commercial lamb production
freezer lambs
wool

what defines lamb?

meat from a sheep <1 year old with a milder flavor, often found in supermarkets, farmers markets, and restaurants

what defines mutton

meat from sheep >1 year old

what are the common sheep breeds raised

suffolk, hampshire, Dorset, Southdown, oxford, Shropshire, gulf coast native, Tunis, Romney, Corriedale, polypay, katahdin, dorper

what breed? What is notable about them?

Suffolk
Black faced meat breed used as terminal sires in market lab production
large framed
largest breed in US (eve 200-300 ram 275-400(

What breed and what’s notable about them?

Hampshire
black faced meat breed, black legs with wool and black head with white topknot
large breed with thick muscling
very good milkers
widely used in US as terminal sires

what breed and what is notable about them

Dorset
white meat breed with wool on legs, may be polled or horned
may breed out of season (spring)
excellent maternal traits
medium size

what breed and whats notable about them?

Southdown
light brown face with woll on legs, medium t small frame (120-230lbs)
popularity is increasing due to easy keeping

What breed and what is notable about them?

katahdin
haired sheep with minimal to no wool
originated in vermont
medium size
adapted to warm climates
good maternal value and carcass quality

WHat breed and what’s notable about them?

barbados blackbelly
haired, brown and black
prolific (200% lamb crop)
heat tolerant
fast!
low carcass quality

what breed and what’s notable about them?

Gulf coast native
ancestors of Spanish sheep from 1500s
small body size with wool free faces and clean legs
some degree of innate resistance to internal parasites
adapted to hot and humid conditions, may help revive sheep industry in SE due to better ratios of lambs

how many ewes minimum are necessary for profit

500

even if raising sheep is a part time enterprise, what income opportunities exist?

lamb sales
wool sales
related products
milk and cheese
biomedical purposes (research, blood, ect)

what are the methods for marketing lambs in order of use

direct to consumer (54%)
special auction ie club lamb sale (44%)
direct to buyer (32%)
local processor (24%)
Local auction (23%)

what is the average market weight of lambs

95lbs

When and how much wool is harvested per sheep

harvested in spring, 7.3 lbs average fleece

what is the average cost per pound of wool

1.89 per lb

what is the shearing cost per sheep

$5-10

What are the four kinds of wool

fine, medium, long, hair

what breeds are known for fine wool

merino- Spain (all fine wool breed originate from merino-)
rambouillet- France

what breeds are typically medium wool

primarily meat production, inludes Suffolk, Hampshire, Dorset, Southdown, oxform, and shropshire from British isles and texel from Netherlands

what breeds of sheep are long wool

popular for hand spinners
lincoln, Leicester, cost would, Romney

What breeds have hair vs wool

barbados blackbelly
St. croix
Katahdin

Where is sheep dairy production typically concentrated

europe and middle east, near the Mediterranean sea

what is the typical product of sheep dairy

processed to cheese such as Roquefort

the US annually imports more than ? of cheese made from sheep milk

60 million lbs

where is sheep dairy production concentrated in the US

wisconsin, NY, California

Why are goats raised commercially?

kids for commercial trade
clean up farm or brush
milk production
companion, youth, novelty

What are project goats

purpose is to produce show goats, some replacement females kept and good male kids left intact

what is the main goat of commercial goat production

produce meat-type kids for slaughter, replacement females

what is the purpose of purebred goat production

males and females for other producers, replacement females

What is the future of the goat market?

ethnic markets such as hispanic, Muslim and Jewish populations
freezer market
health conscious
novel experience

what were the averages of mohair production in 2022

149,000 head clipped
average 5.8lbs per clip
865,000 lbs us total
4.12 per lb
3.5 million$

What are common meat goat breeds

spanish brush
nubian
boer
kiko
myotonic aka Tennessee fainting goat
pygmy

What are common dairy goat breeds

Saanen
Toggenburg
La Macha
Nubian
Alpine

What are common fiber goat breeds

Angora
Cashmere

What breed?

Cashmere goat

What is the average price of Cashmere per pound and how much does an adult goat produce per year?

$120-$190 per lb
average goat produces 2-2.5lbs per year (half of hair is cashmere and half is guard hair)

What breed and what is notable about them

Boer
South africa
meat breed with excellent muscling
160% kid crop
often used to upgrade Spanish goats

what breed and what is notable about them?

Kiko
from New Zealand - breed established in 1986 from feral goats bred to nubian, saanen, and toggenburg bucks
brought to US around 1990
known for maternal characteristics, twinning, growth rate

what breed?

La Mancha

what breed and what is notable about them?

myotonic aka Tennessee fainting goats
unique fainting characteristic
meat breed
Easy keepers

What breed and what is notable about them?

Nubian
African origin
all purpose, mostly dairy
any color- often tan and black
big ears that dissipate heat
likely most common dairy breed in US

what breed?

Saanen

what breed and what is notable about them?

SPanish (brush)
mixed origins with numerous colors, sizes and shapes
some feral
susceptible to being improved through breeding and selection

WHat twi breeds of goat are often kept for novelty or companionship

fainting goat
pygmy

Describe normal TPR, ruminations for sheep and goats

temp 102-104
pulse- 70-90
Resp- 12-20
Rumination- 1-2 per minute

how is age determine incisor teeth in sheep and goats

I1 - 1-1.5 yr
I2- 1.5-2y
I3- 2.5-3yr
I4- 3.5-4yr

What are the two groups of family Camelidae

Camelina (old world camels)
Lamini (new world camels)

What are the Camelina old world camels

Bactrian (Camelus bacrtianus) 2 humps
Dromedary (Camelus dromedaries) 1 hump

What are the lamini new world camels

Guanaco (Lama gaunicoe)
Llama (L. glama)
Alpaca (L. paco’s)
Vicuna (L. vicugna)

Camelids are ? with a narrow oropharynx, elongated soft palate, and domed base of tongue, which MUST be considered in restraint

obligate nasal breathers

What is there permanent dental pattern in Camelids

Incisors- 3 mandibular, maxillary 3rd is fighting tooth
canines- upper and lower for fighting
molars lower- 2 premolars 3 molars
molars upper- I premolars 3 molars

WHen do permanent central teeth erupt in Camelids

2.5yrs

WHen do middle permanent teeth erupt in Camelids

3yr old

What age do corner teeth emerge in Camelids

4yrs

What should be considered for teeth exams and procedures in Camelids

consider sedation
mandibular arcades are narrower than maxilary
sharp points found at mandibular later and maxillary medial
floating is rarely required but my be necessary in older animal incisors
fighting teeth can be cut at 2-3 years

camelids rarely ingest foreign bodies, why?

lips are highly tactile and finely discriminatory, investigate potential feed
upper philtrum has independent movement

how is BCS determined in Camelids

palpate spine over thorax
weigh every 60 days
palpate rib cage

What are the ranges of BCS for Camelids using the ribs

1- thin (open fingers)
2- under (closed finger tips)
3-ideal (knuckles)
4-over conditioned (back of wrist)
5-obese
lateral aspects of transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae should be easily palpable but not sharp

what BSC should Camelids be kept at

BCS 3-4

how is the Camelids stomach described?

3 compartments
Rumen or C1, C2, C3 or abomasum

rumen and C2 make up ? of total Camelids stomach

90%

camelid rumen and C2 have ? to secrete bicarb and mucus

secretory saccules

C1 and C2 contractions in Camelids should be ? back to front

4-6 Min

how should Camelids stomach be auscultated

left paralumbar fossa or paracostalar ea. SOunds are less pronounced and contraction cannot be felt

what is the pH of the Camelids stomach?

6.4-7.0th

e camelid stomach is ? more efficient in digestion and assimilating of nutrients from poor quality forages

10-15%

What is the sequence of forestomach motility in Camelids

contraction cranial C1
Caudal C1contraction
C2 contraction
relaxation of canal

only the ? portion of the C3 secretes HCL

very terminal

What is the camel hump?

NOT WATER
fat or food reserve

how do camels handle dehydration

Gi tract 10-20% BW in water
camels do not sweat
Erythrocytes are small and oval and will circulate with increased blood viscosity
extract water from feces
tolerate large fluctuations in body temperature (97.7-107.6)

how do camels rehydrate

drink large amount of water in one session
water is absorbed very slowly
erythrocytes can swell to 240% vs typically 150%, temporarily further decrease urine volume

WHat is TPR normals for camels

T- 99-102, >106 associated with heat stress
P- 50-90
R- 20-40 poor correlation between auscultation vs patho

Where should SQ and IM injections be given in camls?

SQ- behind elbow or over thorax behind scapula
IM- back of leg level with top of scrotum or just below vulva, small volumes or non irritating

how long is camel gestation

335-355 days

WHat is the timeline of behavior of a camelid at birth?

attempt to stand at 30min
up at 1-2 hrs and tries to nurse
nurse at 3-4 hrs at 2-3 times per hour at first
Meconium passage at 24hrs (dark and sticky)

WHat weights should alpacas and llamas be born at

alpaca 12-18lbs
llama 20-24lbs
may lose 0.5-1lbs first day, but should gain 0.5 (alpaca) or 1lb (llama) per day, make sure cria is actively nursing by weighing daily

What vaccines are used in camelids

Clostridium perfringes C and D, Clostridium tetani, rabies most important
leptospirosis and E coli sometimes used

? is an internal parasites that is a big concern for Camelids owners due to resistance in the species

Haemonchus (specifically Haemonchus controtus)

What traits of Haemonchus make them difficult to handle?

very prolific (potential to lay 100,000 eggs per day)
short life cycle 2 weeks
especially prolific in warm moist environments but have hardy eggs that can overwinter easily

How are parasites controlled in camelid production

feed hay and grain off the ground and move troughs frequent
control stocking densities
use guinea hens or chickens to control egg dispersion
deworm based on FAMACHA (avoid whole herd and use fecal egg counts)
co graze with horses
don’t mix age groups

What are the five ratings of FAMACHA

1- 31%- 139epg
2-28%-284epg
3-27%-567epg
4-22%-1238epg
pale-5-16%-4047epg